Digging implement for military or other purposes.



Patented July 16, 1 912.

RUDOLF Hammam?, or HaNovEn, GERMANY.

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Specltcation' of Letten Patent.

Patented .July 16, 1912.

Application led January 5, 1912. Serial No. 689,888.

To rlwhom. lt'ma'y concern: f f

Be 1t known that I, RUDOLF Henman?,

.a citizen of the GermanEmpire, residing at Hanover, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in- Digging Implement for Military or other Purposes; and I do declare the following tol be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The invention relates to a universal digging implement for military or any other purpose and said implement is designed to be used for a number of different purposes and is of simple and strong construction. A number of similar implements already exist which always have the absolutely necessary spade and a saw, ax or shears for cutting wire. The latter is very useful for military purposes, owing to the extensive use of spiked wire for barricading and obstructing, but said part can only be provided with di iculty. Asa rule the shaft or handle of the spade is used as the principal handle for the shears, and a second arm is jointed thereto in some way or the other, said second arm thus becoming either of weak conence of sand andgrit. There is only-asinstruction or heavy and inconvenient.

The essential feature of the improvement consists in constructing the shaft or handle of the spade with a joint in the middle s o that it is divided into two halves which form the two handles of the shearblades normally contained in said shaft. The constructionis carried out in such a manner that after loosening a screw or similar connection both halves of the shaft or handle can be pulled so far apart that as soon as a pawl springs into position the shears are ready for immediate use.

rlihe advantage of this construction lies in the impossibility of losing any constituent part, as so frequently occurs in other implements of this kind, because all parts are permanently united. Further, the time required for adapting1 the implement for one purpose or the ot er is extremely short, owing to no part having to be taken out and fastened at another point which in other apparatus of the kind, is necessary and is rendered diliicult and undesirable by the presgle coarse screw-thread connection, which' has to be turned but-a few revolutions, or a correspondln bayonet joint which only has to be turne through a part of a revolution. i I

In order to enable the parts most subjected to wear, for example the blade of-the spade and the place where the 'foot is applied, to be easily exchanged and to adapt the handle so that 1t can be produced in large numbers 1n the same form, for example for sharp or broad blades with or without saws, axes or the like, said parts are wrought as special frame parts. The blade is riveted between two plates made in one piece with the bottom part of the handle and is provided with two longitudinal grooves on both sides of lts inner edge so that the edges of the plates projecting into said grooves are protected against injury. As a.` consequence these blades, which, owing to their distant position from each other ofler greater resoft material, like the handle, for example out of an aluminium allo In the accompanying rawing the spade is shown ,in Figure 1 in front elevation with the parts of the handle pulled out. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the parts pushed together, Fig. 3, a longitudinal section, and Fig. 4, a cross section. through the sliding sleeve.

a and b represent the parts of the handle which are adapted to be united by a screwthread c or any other suitable means. The lower part b carries the blade e, which is recessed and riveted bet-Ween two plates d, one edge f, for example, being formed as a saw. 0f the two blades or arms g and h of the shears the one g is fastened in the handle b by means of a sleeve i, while the other arm h is secured to a sleeve k adapted to slide in the handle a, so that said arm h, after loosening the connection c, can be pulled out as far as the stop l will allow, in which position it is held by a spring catch m (Fig. 1). A stop n prevents the tube from being injured by the shears being opened too far. The handle a is closed at one end by a wooden plug o, which is adapted to be removed, if it is desired to use the handle in known manner as a receptacle for string or the like.

What I claim and desire to secure b v Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A digging implement comprising, a

vspadeblade, a holloyv handle carrying the latter and made 1n two relatively rotatable parts, means integral with said parts to /rigf Y idly connect the same, and a shear blade connected to each part and normally Withiny the handle.

2. A digglng implement for military and other purposes, comprising in combination,

` a spade blade, a handlecarrying said blade and constructed in two parts, means to unite said parts, a shear blade rigidly connected to one part of said handle, a second shearl blade adapted to slide in the other part of said handle, and a pivot uniting said shear blades, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth. V

3. A digging implement for military and other purposes, comprising in'mbination,

a spade blade, a handle carrying said blade and constructed in two parts,'means to unite said parts, a'shear blade rigidly connected Jto one-partL of said handle, a second. Ashear 

